Here’s What Your Stool Can Tell You About Your Health

Your stool can tell you plenty about what’s going on inside the body, give you a thumbs up regarding your intestinal well-being, or flag a cause for concern. A one-off occurrence of unusual feces is rarely something to worry about. When a potentially morbid characteristic becomes regular, further investigations might be required.

What is Normal Stool?

Normally, feces should be brown, medium soft (some describe it as toothpaste consistency) and around 4 to 8 inches long (10 to 20 cm). It should leave the body easily, with not much straining. Not every deviation from this description should alarm you. Often changes in stool are attributed to food and lifestyle choices, so don’t panic too quickly. Beetroot can give it some red color, while fatty food makes it soft, foul-smelling and causes the poop to float.